Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 575

1889 · 32 pages

Steady Hand Police Puzzle This detective serial by W. H. Manning features "Steady Hand" Jacob Bradstreet, described as "the Napoleon of Detectives," a Brooklyn-based professional investigator working independently. The story opens with a mysterious, portly man traveling through New York on a rainy night—his unusual waist containing concealed items with a kerosene odor. Witnesses overhear him receiving a key and warnings about "cans" that could cause explosions. Later, boatmen crossing the East River witness the surreal spectacle of this same man walking upright across the water's surface before vanishing into darkness. The boatmen debate whether they've seen the Devil himself. The narrative then shifts to Bradstreet's morning, when insurance agent Eli C. Doyle brings urgent news: a dwelling on Concord Street burned overnight—ruled suspicious by the Royal Safety Insurance Company. The fire's owner, elderly Josiah Winchester, perished in the blaze. Bradstreet accepts the case, recognizing the potential connection between the mysterious man and the incendiary fire.

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